Sunday Night Football brings us a primetime clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants, and of course, DraftKings has a DFS Showdown slate locked in. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce headline as usual, but this matchup could hinge on depth pieces and game-script swings. Let’s dig into the best fantasy football picks and strategy angles for Chiefs vs. Giants on DraftKings.
DraftKings Sportsbook has KC -6 over NYG with the total at 44.5.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL Showdown $1.11M Sunday Night Showdown [$250K to 1st] (KC @ NYG)
Captain’s Picks
Malik Nabers ($16,500 CPT): Historically, wide receivers have proven the best Captain picks for Showdown slates, winning 35% of top lineups in 2024, and Malik Nabers fits this mold. The Giants’ star weapon scored 40.7 fantasy points in Week 2 (nine catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns) and is averaging 12.5 targets per game in the Giants’ new Russell Wilson-led offense. The Giants will likely be playing from behind. Wilson is a gunslinger, and Nabers is his No. 1 target. The volume and upside are exactly what is required from the 1.5x Captain boost.
UTIL Plays
Patrick Mahomes ($10,400): The Giants defense surrendered 40 points and allowed 343 passing yards in their Week 2 overtime loss to the Cowboys. The perennially deficient Chiefs’ rush attack is up to its old ways. Andy Reid’s running back rotation is more random than a teenager’s energy drink selection at the convenience store. It doesn’t matter if it’s Red Bull, Monster or Ghost. The flavor doesn’t matter. The caffeine content doesn’t matter. The Chiefs’ RB split is rarely productive. The passing attack is different. Mahomes has carried his team to multiple championships. After a 0-2 start, this is the perfect matchup for Mahomes to put Kansas City on his shoulders.
Hollywood Brown ($8,400): Chalk doesn’t always hit. Brown broke out in Week 1 when Xavier Worthy went out. Week 2 was expected to be the Hollywood show. The spotlight didn’t shine on the star. Brown wasn’t Hollywood. He wasn’t even Holly-good. In his defense, his matchup was against the Eagles’ defense. Holly-average isn’t that bad versus Philadelphia. The Hollywood script is different this week. The screenwriters have penned a shootout. Mahomes and Brown star in this buddy-cop action flick. The rest of the Chiefs are just extras.
Tyquan Thornton ($4,400): The Chiefs are going to pass. Thornton has played 70% of the snaps. Thornton does not bring guaranteed volume to the table. He does bring opportunity. On a full slate, he would be a borderline value target because of the matchup against the Giants. On a showdown slate, Thornton is a key value pick. He affords the option of rostering Nabers as a Captain and possibly squeezing in the combo of Mahomes and Brown with Thornton as a second option in the stack. It all comes down to a Tyquan touchdown. Thornton scored on the Eagles last week. and the Giants allowed 40 points in Week 2. Another Thornton TD is not a stretch.
Fades
Travis Kelce ($8,000): No one stepped up in Week 2 with Worthy out. Kelce put up the best numbers, but 61 yards on four receptions is nothing to write home about. Kelce could break out in this matchup. His familiar name will drive up clicks. That’s a problem. His ownership will be sky high. Kelce will be owned because he is known. He’s known because he’s been around forever. Kelce is 35 years old. There’s not much left in the tank. He’s moved on. He’s a celebrity. This year might play out like the down years of the Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson saga.
The Outcome
The Chiefs are projected to defeat the Giants 27-20 in an uncompetitive Week 3 SNF matchup. The Giants’ defense will struggle to control the Chiefs’ offense. The final score won’t look bad because of late-game points from New York against a prevent defense.
Final Score: Chiefs 27, Giants 20
